I drove mostly in the city; and got between 28 and 29 overall during my time with the vehicle. This is decent gas mileage for a non-hybrid vehicle.

The Eco-Assist feature in the Civic helps you in this department, too, as the gauges turn green when you are getting better gas mileage. This helps teach you how to drive so that you get that better gas mileage. There's also an "ECON" button that optimizes gas mileage if that's your goal.

ENGINE, HORSE POWER

The 2013 Civic is not super-powerful, but the ride you get still feels very smooth and enjoyable from the 140 horsepower, 1.8 liter, 16-valve engine. The 5-speed transmission is available in either manual or automatic.

If you're looking for power numbers, though, I don't suspect you'd be looking for a Civic, so these numbers are respectable.

Steering is very responsive, an improvement over the previous year's Civic.

AUDIO SYSTEM, MUSIC SOURCES

The sound in my test vehicle came from a 160-watt audio system with 6 speakers, which was impressive but not overwhelming. Lower trim levels of the Civic only feature four speakers.

All versions of the Civic feature AM and FM radio and a CD slot. All versions also feature USB connectivity and an AUX input that allow you to access audio via ports. It's also ready to plug in your iPod.

Bluetooth compatibility is also universal, so you can listen to music from your smartphone wirelessly.

Satellite radio is only offered on higher trim levels that offer navigation, and is only free for a few months before a monthly fee must be paid (though I would recommend keeping it; it's really addictive once you get used to it).

DESIGN INSIDE

I wasn't a big fan of the style of the physical buttons on the center console on the Civic. They were too small and old-fashioned, compared to the all digital displays or embedded buttons offered by other automakers.

But otherwise, the interior design was very well-done in the Civic. It's roomy for a small car, and you get what I like to call the 'spaceship-style' dashboard, with the digital displays showing your miles per gallon and a ton of other information, which can be scrolled through via buttons on the steering wheel.

VOICE CONTROL, NAVIGATION

Like most new vehicles, the 2013 Civic features the ability to do voice commands, but I was often frustrated in my efforts to get the system to understand me, especially when giving navigation command via the Honda Navigation System with Voice.

This is one area where the Civic does lag behind some of its competition in the segment.

The navigation system does a solid job once it knows where you're going. The navigation system is not standard on all Civics, you must move to one of the top two trim levels to get it.

All Civic sedans come standard with a multi-angle rearview camera, which is very helpful in efforts to back out from tight parking quarters.

STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS

The steering wheel controls on the Civic are very intuitive and easy to figure out from the get-go.

Cruise control is on the right, while the volume, track forward/backwad and music source keys are on the left.

On the lower left side of the wheel you'll find your buttons to do voice commands and make phone calls.

At the top trim level, you'll get heated door mirrors and heated front seats

MISSING FEATURES

Among the features you won't find on the Civic are blind spot warning, which is hard to find on smaller cars, and Honda does not have any feature that will alert 911 automatically in the event of a crash.

TARGET AUDIENCE

I could see a couple types of folks showing interest in the Civic. It's an affordable commuter car for someone who has a family vehicle already but wants something to take to work.

Also, it would work as a first new car for a younger buyer trying to get into something nice but not too expensive.

PRICE

There are four trim levels offered on the Civic sedan -- LX, HF, EX and EX-L. The base Civic sedan starts at a little over $18,000, very affordable by today's standards; I had a higher-end model EX-L model and it was still priced at just over $24,000.

Of course, the lower you go in price, the more of the features you'll lose, so you have to see what's important to you and decide which level is up to your standards.

There is a lot of tough competition that has emerged in the smaller car market this year, many of which offer value prices, so Honda is definitely recognizing that in their pricing of the Civic.

BOTTOM LINE

The 2013 Honda Civic is a big improvement from the 2012 Civic, is an attractive yet nonflashy car, and it's also very enjoyable to drive.

It's not large enough for those hoping to transport a large family, and the voice-command side of things isn't as impressive as some of the competition, but outside of that there is very little not to like.

The ride is smooth, it's got Honda reliability behind it, and the gas mileage is pretty good too considering it's not a hybrid.

If you're in the market for a small car that's not going to dent your pocketbook too hard and offers a lot of standard tech features, it's definitely worth a test drive.